Two Tivos To Paradise 10.16.09: The Interweb's Top One Stop Shopping Destination for TV News

Posted by Al Norton on 10.16.2009

Can Chuck save NBC?, Kelsey Grammer and Melinda McGraw from Hank stop by to chat, TNT may pick up Southland, Matthew Perry's return to primetime, Seth MacFarlane's comedy special for Fox, raves for The Office, tons of news and notes, the TV Pick of the Week and more, all in the latest editon of Al Norton's Two Tivos To Paradise!

Hello Friends. Last Sunday was a pretty nasty sports day here in Boston, with both teams blowing late leads and losing in rather depressing fashion. Thankfully the weather continues to be the best fall has to offer, so spirits aren't too down.

Mrs. Tivo is celebrating a birthday on Saturday, and while I have way too much couth to tell you her age, I am more than ok letting you know that she is younger than I am.
Friday Night Lights:



And here's some behind the scenes footage from 30 Rock



Two great ways for you to help out your fellow humans this week; any of my readers based in Greater Boston should head over to The Middle East in Cambridge on Saturday afternoon to catch FOR AMIE, a breast cancer awareness benefit show featuring some of the area's best talent, including Kristin Hersch from Throwing Muses and Bill Janovitz from Buffalo Tom. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com as well as at the door. The show also has a Facebook page you can check out as well.

Also, don't forget there is still time to sponsor Katee Sackhoff in Sunday's AIDS Walk LA. Go to www.aidswalk.net/losangeles, click "Take Action", select "sponsor a walker", type Katee Sackhoff, and give whatever you can. One sponsor will be chosen at random and will receive an autographed Battlestar Galactica season 4.5 DVD set…

To extend this cold open a bit more, I also want to again thank all the Law and Order: Criminal Intent fans for their continued comments. I was very much unaware that the show had this strong a fan base among my readership. One thing I will add is that while I totally understand if a fan decides they are not going to watch CI anymore without Goren and Eames on the scene, I am dumbfounded by those who say they will give up watching the USA network all together. They've got some pretty damn entertaining series on USA and to punish those shows (and yourselves for missing them) seems short sighted to me.

But if you try sometimes you just might find you get what you news.

He's Gotta Be Sure, And Its Gotta Be Soon, And He's Gotta Be Larger Than Life
With NBC's fall schedule off to a rather slow start and the network in need of an announcement that would generate some sort of viewer buzz after the surprise cancellation of Southland last week before a single episode of its second season aired, rumors abound that they will bring Chuck back earlier than its scheduled 2010 return, with some publications suggesting it could be back on the air by the end of the month. This would also greatly increase the chances that the 13 episode order given to the action-comedy would be upped.

I am one of the biggest Chuck fans around and even I think throwing it back on the air would be a bad idea as it doesn't give enough time to build the show up. The idea behind bringing Chuck back for a third season was to hopefully grow its passionate but not huge fan base into something larger and simply tossing it back in the lineup would not be a step towards that goal. Take TNT for example; they are already airing ads for Men of a Certain Age, which doesn't debut until December. Yes it's a new show so they are starting from scratch but with that cast it's also a much more high profile show. If NBC wants to bring Chuck back early than start running ads now, and use USA and/or Bravo – networks in the Universal family – to run marathons of the first two seasons. Take a page out of the USA playbook and tape funny promos where the characters talk about how saving the world each week is easy but saving NBC's primetime line up is hard. Maybe even line up some famous actors who have played secret agents/spies to do little video testimonials.

If they treat the return of Chuck like a big deal than it will be a big deal but if they simply do a quick add to the schedule as if to say to the audience, "there, are you happy now?", it actually could decrease the series chances in the long run.

The bigger question here is what the hell is NBC going to do now. The Jay Leno Show is clearly a failure up to this point but one they are stuck with through at least one full season. Even if they bring back Chuck and Friday Night Lights ahead of schedule there wouldn't be enough programming to fill every night at 10 pm even if they were to admit defeat so early. A much more likely scenario is scaling back Jay for the 2010-2011 season, maybe having him on one or two nights a week. The problem them becomes not so much needing new shows but not having enough current shows to launch them.

Right now the only new NBC show with any traction seems to be Community, with Trauma and Mercy barely staying afloat. Heroes is seemingly on it's last legs with its third consecutive season of dropping ratings, meaning they could be looking at trying to fill as many as four or five hours a week, a tall order without other hits to promote those new shows.

NBC's primetime lineup is clearly in a very bad place right now, one that is going to take years – not months – to get out of.

And Even Though We Ain't Got Money, I'm So In Love With You Honey, And Everything Will Bring A Chain Of Love
Hank is a new sitcom on ABC starring Emmy and Golden Globe winner Kelsey Grammer as a man who just lost his financial fortune and is forced to move in with his blue collar family. Melina McGraw, so great as Bobbie Barrett on Mad Men last season, co-stars. I recently got a few minutes on the phone with them to discuss the new series.

TTTP: Kelsey, I know you're an executive producer on Hank; were you looking to do another series and where on the development scale was the show when you got involved?

Kelsey Grammer: Hank didn't exist when I was jumping on board. I had spoken to my agent about the idea about doing a family comedy, a traditional comedy, with a man, a woman, and two kids in the same house. That was the first principal of it, the first step. They brought me into a room full of people from Warner Brothers, and they had some writers who had been kicking around a few ideas about how to do something like that. They came up with this idea of Hank; we borrowed from the headlines a bit because it's about a man who had lost his job and had his world turned upside down, and how he was going to rebuild himself. That was the first premise and we went from there and figured out he'd have to move to Virginia; the little pieces all fell into place bit by but after that. The single line that the writer said that I was impressed with was, "Hank is determined to become a success again, and he will, just not in the way he thought." That's what sealed the deal for me.

TTTP: Melinda, congratulations on Mad Men winning the Emmy for Best Show. You should feel comfortable taking some credit for that.

Melinda McGraw: That's very nice of you to say. I'm so thrilled for them. It was spectacular, a highlight of my career. You can imagine how much fun it was to get to say those words, work with those people, wear those costumes.

TTTP: Because that was such a well received role my guess is that you had a few opportunities during pilot season; what drew you to the character of Maddie and to the series in general?

Melinda McGraw: Kelsey was always attached and that was a thrilling notion to me. I love the multi-camera format and think it can be a high art form in a lot of ways. It's very difficult to get right and when you get it right, you can do on television something you can't do any other way, tell a story in a theatrical way. It's like a little play. You can do farce and you can do things on a broader scale. Kelsey is the king of that; no one does it like he does. I love the idea that having the chance to work in that form with him was very exciting.

I also liked the idea of these people having to completely reacquaint themselves with what's underneath all the trappings they have had. They have to reconnect in a different way and be closer to each other. They also have to reacquaint their children with what reality is like. All of that attracted me.

TTTP: What was it like the first time you two read together?

Kelsey Grammer: It was pretty great. Melinda walked in and blew it out of the water.

Melinda: We just really liked each other right away. I was very nervous; it was the first thing I said because I don't get too nervous too often but he was so sweet. He makes me laugh…

Kelsey Grammer: The feeling is mutual.

Melinda McGraw: And he's so tender. It's very easy for me to feel very loving towards him.

TTTP: Did both of you come away thinking it was the right fit?

Melinda McGraw: I felt pretty good after we met. I mean, you never know, but I thought we had chemistry.

Kelsey Grammer: I was a big fan of Melinda's – I had seen her work for years and was a big fan of everything I had seen her do and it was a pleasure to just kick it around with her a little bit – and she nailed it when she came it. She was great.

TTTP: For people who haven't seen the show yet, what's something about it that might surprise them a bit, something they might not get just from watching the ads?

Kelsey Grammer: I haven't seen the ads so I don't know (laughing). I honestly think they'll be most surprised that we really are devoted to the family notion of it. It's kind of been teed up as a "Grammer vehicle" and it really is an ensemble cast. What happens with a sitcom is that it takes a little while to get everyone in the same room at the same time; the pilot can barely introduce everybody. You try to retell the pilot somewhat and then after that you have these little stories that enhance your knowledge about each of the characters. David Koechner plays my brother-in law and he is unbelievably funny; you could say irrepressible. Next week is an episode that sort of features him. You just get to know the family deeper and deeper as each episode unfolds. I think if you give it a shot for a half dozen airings you'll see things you really like about it.

Melinda McGraw: I think one thing that's hard to tell from the little ads is the range of the show. That's another thing I really liked about it, the broad appeal. There's not just the typical sitcom things; there's really smart comedy but there's also physical stuff…There's something for everyone. It's a smart show and there's a lot going on.

Don't miss Hank, Wednesdays at 8 pm on ABC.

She Had Sultry Eyes, She Made It Perfectly Clear That She Was His For A Price
Fox announced plans for Family Guy Presents: Seth and Alex's Almost Live Comedy Show, set to air at 8:30 pm on Sunday November 8th. Fronted by Seth McFarlane and Alex Borstein, the special will mix animation with sketch comedy, celebrity guests, and even a musical number or two. Perhaps most interesting about the special is that it will air without traditional commercials that interrupt programming; sponsored solely by Windows 7, all the ads will appear as boxes, pop up's and graphics during the show, plus the hosts will the product into the comedy.

That's certainly one way to get attention; so far most of the coverage has been about the unique advertising arrangement and less so about the special itself. I know that commercials are ever changing and with so many people watching TV via DVR's, advertisers need to come up with new ways to get our attention. The truth of the matter is that commercials are a necessary evil of television and Fox is smart to try this out in a comedy special, where MacFarlane can make fun of what they are doing in a way that might actually make the audience forget that they are doing it.

Sitting Here On Top Of The World, I Got Everything I Need From This World
Former Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip co-stars Matthew Perry and Bradley Whitford each have new series in the works. Whitford will star in the action-comedy Jack and Dan for Fox, playing a lazy, alcoholic cop coasting on a previous heroic act who gets paired with a by-the-book younger cop who has big ambitions. The series comes from Matt Nix, who also created the USA hit Burn Notice.

Perry's comedy – just picked up by ABC - is about a guy who manages a sports arena who turns 40 and begins to rethink some of his life choices. The idea was Perry's and he is teaming up with Alex Barnow and Mark Firek (both of whom have Family Guy writing credits) to write and executive produce the series. TV heavyweight Thomas Schlamme is also executive producing and will direct the pilot.

I am a huge Bradley Whitford fan from both The West Wing and Studio 60 and am looking forward to seeing him in a less-than-heroic role. Making me even more excited for Jack and Dan is my love for Burn Notice and the trust in Matt Nix it has earned from me.

To be honest, I am a little less excited about Perry's project than I was for the series he was working on last year for Showtime (The End of Steve, written with Rescue Me's Peter Tolan) but then again that show didn't get picked up so what do I know. His work on Studio 60 showed me he is a lot more than just Chandler and I there is no doubt TV is a better place when he is working.

You Touched My Soul With Your Beautiful Song, You Even Had Me Singing Right Along With You
The Sundance Channel has scheduled the season two premiere of Spectacle: Elvis Costello with…for December 9th, with some Hall of Fame level musical acts on board. U2, Bruce Springsteen, Sheryl Crow, Lyle Lovett, Ray LaMontagne, Nick Lowe, Richard Thompson, and Levon Helm are among those who will stop by to talk shop and do a few numbers. The first season of the show, executive produced by Elton John, is available on iTunes, and a DVD/Blue Ray box set will be released on November 10th.

Fans of songwriting already know this to be the best show of its kind on TV and this latest batch of participants seems to make for a guaranteed top notch season two. Costello is such a student of music that he can talk with artists from any style, and his impressive credentials make for better conversations; his guests know that he knows where they are coming from and feel comfortable opening up about their craft. Rest assured that at least a couple of these episodes will be future TV Picks of the Week, and hopefully a few "Best of What's Arounds" as well.

Hey, Glory, Glory, Hallelujah, Welcome To The Future
The CW gave everyone a peak at what's in development for next season, with some familiar names with strong track records working on new series.

*One Tree Hill creator Mark Schwahn is teaming with Grammy, CMA, and ACM winner Brad Paisley for Nashville, a drama about people trying to make it in country music. Paisley will write songs for the series and appear as himself. Neal Dodson and Matt Bomer (both of whom have written for Chuck and USA's upcoming White Collar) are on board as writers and executive producers.

*Schwahn is also working on Spy School, a drama following women enrolled in the CIA training program. The book is based on an upcoming book by former CIA Agent Larry Kolb, who is involved in the project.

*Rob Thomas (Veronica Mars) is working on Plymouth Rock, a space soap opera about young people on a mission to colonize a new planet. The same producing team Thomas worked with on Mars, Cupid, and Party Down are with him on this.

*Confessions of a Backup Dancer is written by The L Word's Ilene Chaiken and follows a young woman who gets her big break by being hired as a backup dancer for a music superstar.

I am a big fan of Mark Schwahn, who holds official "Friend of TTTP" status, so I am looking forward to both of his new shows. Paisley is an unbelievably talented guy and will go a long way towards giving the show an authentic feel. I have loved two of Rob Thomas last three series (Veronica Mars and Party Down), and the original Cupid is a personal favorite, so I would be open to giving Dawson's Galactica a shot.

But You Were Up To Your Old Tricks In Chapters Four Five And Six
All you need to know about the Nielsen's for the past week or so…We will be continuing what we tried last week, breaking the ratings down by night…

Thursday
Jim and Pam's wedding gave The Office it's best numbers in a year and the second best demo numbers for the night…Community did better at 8 pm than SNL Weekend Update Thursday had the previous week but was still down 13% without The Office lead-in…On the plus side, the stronger lead-in gave Parks & Recreation its best numbers of the season…Grey's Anatomy had its typical dominant demos, with an overall total of 13.8 million…CSI was the night's most watched program with 14.6 million…FlashForward finished behind both Survivor and Bones in the 8:00 hour for totals but did top the latter in demos…The Mentalist's 14.2 million strong audience won 10:00, although it trailed Private Practice in the demos…The CW is quite happy with the solid and steady demos that both The Vampire Diaries and Supernatural are putting up…Ratings for the divisional round of the MLB playoffs are up 15% from last year, 19% in the key men 18-34 demographic…

Friday
Dollhouse was up 11% in the demos, good news no doubt but the overall numbers are still a long way from respectable…Actually there was a lot of demo improvement on Friday night, with Ghost Whisperer, Medium, and Law and Order showing gains…

Sunday
The Colts – Titans game was the lowest rated Sunday Night Football telecast of the season but still put up strong enough numbers to win the night with ease…The Amazing Race was up this week, thanks in part to the overrun of the Patriots-Broncos game. Despite the larger lead-in, Three Rivers second outing dropped from its poor week one showing…The Family Guy was the night's top scripted series in demos…The Cleveland Show actually out performed lead-in The Simpsons, a very strong indication of the show's popularity…Desperate Housewives had the good news/bad news of being the most watched scripted program of the season and also coming very close to series lows…

Monday
CBS entire Monday night line-up showed gains from last week, thanks majorly to not going up against a record breaking Monday Night Football game this time...House was the top rated scripted show for the night in both total audience and demos, although the rating was a season low…Dancing with the Stars (16.5 million) and Castle (9.4 million) matched last week's strong performances…One Tree Hill and Gossip Girl were both up a smidge…NBC finished fourth all night, with Heroes, Trauma, and The Jay Leno Show unable to crack 6 million viewers…Jon & Kate Plus 8 was up to 2.5 million, down from the season premiere a few months back but up a pretty decent amount from the last few weeks…The premiere of Gone Too Far on MTV drew a paltry 500,000 viewers…The season premiere of Million Dollar Listing was up 63% from season two's debut…Season two of The Rachel Zoe Project finished with a 22% increase over season one's average rating…

Tuesday
An interesting night in ratings, to be sure…NCIS broke the 20 million viewer mark for the second week in a row and also managed to score some quality demos as well…The Hell's Kitchen season finale topped the demos in the 9:00 hour and overall averaged 8.0 million total over the two hours…NCIS: Los Angeles' 15.3 million and The Good Wife's 12.8 million were down a shade…The Biggest Loser continues to perform, usually finishing second in its time slot in totals and demos…Some good news for The Jay Leno Show as it finished first in the 10:00 18-34 demos (the standard demos are 18-49)…Melrose Place slight improvement last week was a one-time thing as ratings dropped a bit this week, with a total of 1.4 million viewers…

Wednesday
NBC got some rare good news when Mercy showed an 11% improvement…The New Adventures of Old Christine and Gary Unmarried were up from last week, leading CBS to win the 8:00 hour in total viewers before lead out Criminal Minds won 9:00 in total viewers and tied Modern Family in demos…So You Think You Can Dance? was up at 8:00 and won the hour for demos…Glee continues to be a consistent performer at 9:00, with impressive if not stunning totals the third best demos of any show on Wednesday…CSI: NY was an easy winner at 10 pm…

All The Young Dudes, Carry The News
Industry News, Notes, and Hot Rumors…Rumors are intensifying that TNT is in talks to pick up the second season of Southland, cancelled last week by NBC… Fox officials said that all 13 episodes of Dollhouse ordered for this season would be aired. What they didn't say but seems clear is that the chances of any additional episodes being produced are mighty slim…NBC officially announced Lauren Graham as Maura Tierney's replacement on Parenthood. Production for the begins next month, with episodes hitting the airwaves after the Winter Olympics…ABC gave The Middle a full season pick up…Paula Abdul tweeted that she was observing a taping of The X Factor in England, furthering rumors that she will be a judge if/when the Simon Cowell produced show comes across the pond…Desperate Housewives creator Marc Cherry is developing a new dramedy for ABC, although it is not the DH spinoff that had been rumored…Burn Notice writer Ben Watkins is creating a series about female undercover cop for Fox…Syfy's Ghost Hunters Academy (just like it sounds – Ghost Hunters in training) premieres on November 11th…Jolene Blalock will recur on the new season of Legend of the Seeker…Season four of Oxygen's Bad Girls Club premieres on December 1st…Alan Ruck and the great Rachael Harris are joining the cast of Cougar Town…Reno 911 creator and star Thomas Lennon is reteaming with writing partner Robert Ben Garant for a new comedy for NBC. The plot is considered top secret but both will appear on camera as well…A&E picked ordered a pilot for The Quickening, a drama about a bi-polar female police detective. Written by Jennifer Salt (Nip/Tuck), the pilot stars Radha Mitchell (Surrogates)…Fox is celebrating the holiday season by giving us Carrie Underwood: An All-Star Holiday Special. Set to appear on the two hour extravaganza are Dolly Parton, David Cook, and Brad Paisley…Two Tivos favorite Todd Stashwick (The Riches) will do multiple episodes of Heroes this season…Benjamin Bratt will guest on at least one episode of Modern Family as Gloria's much discussed ex-husband…Amy Sherman-Palladino (Gilmore Girls) is developing a dramedy for HBO about a family of writers…Fox picked up an additional 9 episodes of The Cleveland Show, meaning that it's fully renewed through the spring of 2011…John Wells (ER, The West Wing) is adapting the very popular BBC drama Shameless for Showtime, with William H Macy signed to play the lead. The original show's creator is on board as a co-writer and executive producer…It's never a good sign when a network cuts a show's episode total down before it debuts but that's the case with Fox and Past Lives; the first season will now be 7 episodes…Proving that time heals all wounds, Mandy Patinkin will guest on three episodes of Three Rivers. Patinkin quit the network's hit series Criminal Minds two years ago…Bravo is working on Thintervention, a reality series with Work Out's Jackie Warner helping folks lose weight and get healthy while still living in the real world (as in maintaining their regular day-to-day lives and not going off to fat camp)…The 4th season of Big Love will premiere on January 10, 2010…Speaking of HBO, the network is working on a documentary about the Magic Johnson-Larry Bird basketball rivalry that should debut in March…ABC gave a thirteen episode order to The Gates, a crime drama set in a gated suburban community…Gravity, a new Starz series, signed Ving Rhames, Krysten Ritter, Rachel Hunter, and Ivan Sergei to their cast. The series is co-created by Eric Schaeffer and is centered around a support group for people who have survived suicide attempts. Schaeffer has mined similarly dark material for comedy with his short-lived series Starved…Steve Harris (The Practice) will do at least 7 episodes on the new season of Friday Night Lights…Jorja Fox's return to CSI has been extended…Taylor Swift will host the November 7th episode of SNL…

Turns Out Not Where But Who You're With That Really Matters
The top thing I watched since the last column went to press AKA The Best Of What's Around…I must admit to getting a bit misty during the final moments of The Office last week, a segment that showed the show's goofy characters in all their glory and at the same time displayed the tenderness that gives the series such heart. It's high praise when I say that everyone stayed true to themselves during the hour, and it was Andy in particular who earned the biggest laughs.

I don't know if the episode won over any new fans but when you do an hour where two beloved characters come together it's more for the longtime viewers than it is for new folks, and this longtime viewer had a smile on his face from start to finish.



People Say I'm Crazy Doing What I'm Doing. Well, They Give Me All Kinds Of Warnings To Save Me From Ruin
What's flashed before my eyes the last seven days…I was really disappointed with this past Sunday's Curb Your Enthusiasm; it really felt like someone trying to put a Curb episode together from a recipe as opposed to original thought. The "too much caviar on the cracker" was a poor copy of "double dipping", and overall it seemed the writers forgot that uncomfortable comedy only works when you actually have some comedy… Rob Lowe and Sally Field shared a great scene on Brothers & Sisters discussing putting their issues aside to come together for Kitty. Also, Dave Annabelle continues to impress as Justin and his medical school classes are giving him some good material to sink his teeth into… Medium is off to a solid start on CBS, not blowing me away with the episodes but proving each week that NBC made a major mistake letting it get away… Desperate Housewives Doug Savant is usually an afterthought, with the ladies of Wisteria Lane getting all the attention, but his comic touch this week made the episode…The New Adventures of Old Christine has been pretty solid so far this season; the characters are so well defined at this point that you know how they are going to react in certain situations, making it funnier as you watch said situations unfold…Forgot to mention how truly awful Tyra Banks was on Gossip Girl two weeks back. Speaking of bad and Gossip Girl, everyone seemed to accept Scott as a member of the family WAY too quickly and easily. It was like each person got three seconds of shock before giving him a five second hug. Maybe it's just me but finding out my supposedly dead brother who you had never met was not only alive but that I already knew him would give me at least some modicum of pause…Was I the only one expecting the guard to tell Stabler he'd only been in solitary for 20 minutes at the end of last week's SVU? If they wanted to give Christopher Meloni some Emmy bait why not make it an entire episode instead of a tacked on coda…Bored to Death gets better each week, with Ted Danson seemingly locked in on a Norty Nomination next June…Can't say enough about Chelcie Ross' portrayal of Connie Hilton on Mad Men; I love it when I have no idea what a character is going to say next. Pete's trying a Lucky Strike was high comedy this week…I know I praised Sons of Anarchy's Dayton Callie a couple of weeks ago for his work as Chief Wayne Unser but he keeps getting better. The layered storytelling and criss-crossing plot lines that made last season so good are back in full effect, with the audience left almost breathless wondering when the explosions (literal and figurative) are coming…This past Wednesday's Modern Family was the funniest of the season, thanks in no small part to a great turn by Shelly Long…Caught an episode of The Middle last week and came away feeling like it was in some ways Malcolm In The Middle-light, which isn't really the worst thing in the world to be called. I enjoy shows that don't portray all kids as either totally bratty or completely precocious…

TV Pick Of The Week
Simply saying "Monty Python" amongst a group of friends is bound to elicit strong responses, some recognizing their genius, some wondering what the big deal is, and if you've got some young friends you might even get a "who?" or two. IFC looks to please the first group, convert the second, and educate the third with their six hour, six part mini-series Monty Python: Almost The Truth (The Lawyer's Cut), which premieres on Sunday at 9 and runs the next five night in the same time slot.

Reuniting the comedy troupe's surviving members to celebrate its 40th anniversary, the documentary covers their history from start to finish in their own words. It also includes some of the top names in comedy talking about how influential the group was over the years.

Don't miss Monty Python: Almost The Truth (The Lawyer's Cut) starting Sunday at 9 pm on IFC.

Hope You Need My Love, Babe, Just Like I Need You
Here is some other noteworthy programming of the next seven days…

*The MLB postseason continues with both League Championship Series; the AL games (Yankees-Angels) air on Fox tonight (8 pm), Saturday (8 pm), Monday (4:00 pm) and Tuesday (8 pm), and the NL faceoffs (Phillies-Dodgers) are on TBS this afternoon (4 pm), Sunday (8 pm), Monday (8 pm) and Wednesday (8 pm).

*Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield come face-to-face again, this time on Oprah's couch. The episode airs this afternoon – check your local listings.

*Ugly Betty (ABC) FINALLY has it's season premiere tonight at 8 pm.

*Bravo continues its annual look at moments of big screen shock and horror with the new special 13 Scarier Movie Moments, premiering tonight at 9 pm.

*The season finale of Real Time with Bill Maher (10 pm, HBO) finds Alex Baldwin, Garry Shandling, Chris Matthews, and Congressman Alan Myers stopping by to chat.

*PSYCH's (USA) mid-season finale tonight at 10 pm finds Shawn in danger. No, really, serious physical danger.

*I am embarrassed that I have not written about Brick City up to this point and I am using this time to make up for it; a fantastic documentary series about Newark, NJ's attempts to clean itself up, these five hours are perhaps the best of the TV season and thankfully Sundance is showing them all together on Saturday beginning at 11:30. You can also watch it On-Demand between now and the end of the month. Seriously – those who say nothing good is ever on TV or doubt the power of the medium need to watch this, as does any fan of quality television programming.

*If it's October than it must be time for The Simpsons' annual Treehouse of Horror episode (Fox, 8 pm, Sunday).

*truTV's All Worked Up, a reality series documenting folks who work in jobs that can involve intense conflict (bouncers, prison guards, repo men/women), debuts Monday at 10 with back-to-back half hour episodes.

*Get out your red zipper jacket and hide the kids; Tuesday's Dancing with the Stars (ABC, 8 pm) is a Michael Jackson tribute episode.

*Two of TTTP's favorite reality shows wrap up their current seasons on Tuesday night; Shark Tank (ABC) signs off at 8 pm and Flipping Out (Bravo) at 10 pm.

*Even when I was more of a casual Top Chef (Wednesday, 10 pm, Bravo) fan I knew that the restaurant wars episodes were the best.

Two Tivos To Paradise
30 Days, 30 Rock, The Academy, American Idol, Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, Antiques Roadshow, Better Off Ted, Big Love, Bones, Bored To Death, Breaking Bad, Brothers & Sisters, Burn Notice, Celebrity Apprentice, Cake Boss, Chopped, The Chris Isaak Hour, Chuck, The Closer, Community, Cougar Town, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Daddy's Girls, Damages, The Deadliest Catch, Desperate Housewives, Destination Truth, The Dish, Entourage, Eureka, FlashForward, Flipping Out, Gary Unmarried, Ghost Hunters, Ghost Hunters International, Glee, Gossip Girl, Grey's Anatomy, Heroes, The Hills, House, How I Met Your Mother, Hung, Iron Chef America, Jon & Kate + 8, Last Restaurant Standing, Law And Order, Law And Order: Criminal Intent, Law And Order: Special Victims Unit, Lost, Mad Men, Make Me A Supermodel, Man v. Food, Medium, Modern Family, The New Adventures Of Old Christine, Next Food Network Star, Nip/Tuck, The Office, One Tree Hill, Paranormal State, Party Down, Private Practice, Project Runway, Psych, Real Time With Bill Maher, Rescue Me, Royal Pains, Rules Of Engagement, Run's House, Sanctuary, Saturday Night Live, Scrubs, Shark Tank, Shear Genius, Skins, So You Think You Can Dance?, Sons of Anarchy, The Soup, Southland, Sports Soup, Supernatural, Table For 12, Top Chef, Top Design, Torchwood, True Blood, Ugly Betty, The Vampire Diaries, Warehouse 13, Web Soup, Will Work for Food

People Love You When They Know You're Leaving Soon
Here ends another edition of Two Tivos To Paradise. Next week will find us running down all the big headlines as well as perhaps enjoying a visit from someone form the world of television (how's that for a generic tease?). If my comments drop below 20 this week my lead will be suggesting that Goren is the worst Detective in Law and Order history and that USA made a good call. Kidding, of course, but I am not above trying to rile up my audience. I'm also not above making up for the love you've denying you could ever feel.

Don't forget to come back next Friday for all the news, and while you're at it, why not just bookmark the movies/TV page here at 411mania.com and make it that much easier for you to find your entertainment industry hook up! You can also follow us on Twitter!

Feedback is encouraged at [e-mail] as well via the comments section below.

Sources for this week's column include Daily Variety, Entertainment Weekly, TV Guide, and Hollywood Reporter (plus the web sites for those publications) as well as Aintit.cool.com.